A NEW OFFENSIVE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 58

A NEW OFFENSIVE.

"FRIENDLINESS" OF THE GERMAN.

Sir Arthur Yapp; on his return to London after a tour in France and the area of British occupation in Germany, undertaken in connection with the work of tho Y.M.C.A., fepoke of what he regarded as Uia serious danger arising from the friendliness of the German people towards our troops. "One of tho biggest dangers we have to face in tho occupied area of Germany," ho said, " is the extraordinary friendliness of the Gorman people, which I regard as a deliberate new offensive on the part of the Huns. Any mortal thing thoy can do for our troops they will do, and our men are not unnaturally inclined to contract favourably the attitude of the Hun in Cologne with that of tho. Hun in Belgium and Flanders. Very rightly, the authorities wish to encourage friendliness of a proper kind, and a British General recently issued an order in which he urged the men so to behave that in 30 years' timo the people of Cologne will thank God that the city was occupied by the British army. " It is very pleasant to see the children flock around our men, but it must be remembered that it was at Cologne that horrible atrocities were committed on our prisoners, and the Government should realise that this excessive Hun friendliness is a very great danger. Tho rank and file of our armies are billeted in private houses, and for tho most part they are very comfortable. But they are burning for demobilisation, about which they appear to know very little. They are being released in considerable numbers, but the position now is that our men arc killing time instead of Germans, and they find it very hard work. Therefore, to meet the danger of Hun

friendliness it is very necessary to provide occupation and entertainment _ through British organisations, and this is where the Y.M.C.A. work is invaluable."